1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fiber optics, and in particular to structures for providing aligned connectorization for multicore optical fibers.
2. Background Art
Multicore fiber (MCF) technology has the potential of greatly increasing the capacity of current optical fiber networks by allowing a plurality of optical data signals to be carried in parallel by a single fiber. MCFs have been developed that have a diameter that is equal to, or close to, that of a single-core fiber. The use of these MCFs in place of single-core fibers increases patching densities without jeopardizing optical performance or introducing fiber management issues.
One important technical issue to be addressed is connectorization, i.e., how to suitably terminate MCF cables such that they exhibit an acceptably low level of insertion loss. MCFs currently under development must have an insertion loss that is low enough to support data communication applications typically requiring 2 to 4 connections. Meeting insertion loss requirements has proven to be challenging with currently available technology.